Basic Human Needs

[Toma]

Psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed understanding basic human needs as a hierarchy, beginning with primitive survival needs, or "defiency needs", that must be met before we can seek more complex goals, as follows:

• Survival - food, water, and shelter
• Safety - physical and psychological security
• Belonging - love and acceptance
• Self-esteem - approval and recognition

With these needs satisfied, humans can then fulfill their more complex "being needs":

• Intellectual achievement - understanding and exploring
• Aesthetic appreciation - order, structure, and beauty
• Self-actualization - full realization of one's potential, the process of becoming who you are

The religious world of fundamentalism serves to provide for many of these things, particulary of deficiency needs.

Christian fundamentalism appears to resolve each need very neatly, eliminating ambiguity and satisying a natural, human desire for safety

The most pressing concern of human existence is that of mortality. Much of human behaviour can be seen as an effort to prolong life and avoid the terror of death.

 

SO THERE IS NOTHING INHERENTLY WRONG WITH MEETING THESE HUMAN NEEDS.

 

A little bit out of topic but I have some thoughts on this. It seems that society creates more and more endless obstacles for people that  limits their time of thinking. Society dictates what's good or bad and majority of people obey it, society adds more things to strive for. And what happens for a minority? They have two choices - resist and be damned by the majority, at least join the same-minded people group or follow that majority by putting your efforts for what's not proper for you. Nowadays people are more often obsessive about their beauty and slimness because society damns fat-type people. This cult creates a huge burden for both smart and very sensitive people - they have less time for thinking and knowledge because they put they all strength and effort into fitting in society. There are some friends who are smart girls, however, instead of putting effort in gaining knowledge, they are very obsessive about their appearance and always are in need to be slim, it's always not enough..always. Here it comes that basic needs are not satisfied and it closes doors for a maximum intellectual achievement. A great damage for young generation..and most of them think they are "wild and free". I obviously notice this issue in America and it spreads around (unfortunately this "virus" reached my country but happily it didn't affect me so deeply). This version of people control is really apparent but it's sad to think that there are more profound psychological ways that society tries to control humanity..here comes a vital need of cooperation! 

[creative]

Smart people are difficult control and keep in line, so keeping then dumb and obsessed with other things has some mayor benefits.
Benefits as in money and power.

Have you ever notised that even do we are technologically advancing that the majority of the general population on this planet is getting dumber and dumber?

[amateur]

But religious fundamentalism doesn't help with deficiency needs.  There isn't psychological security if one lives in fear of hell.  Every time you do something "bad" you think you'll go to hell.  What if you do a bad act right before you die and don't get to repent and get sent to hell?  What about people who are afraid of committing the unpardonable sin of blasphemy but can't stop their brain from thinking, "Fuck you god" then panicking that they just condemned themself?  This website is FULL of stories about people suffering from psychological INsecurity because of religion.

 

What about belonging -- love and acceptance?  People can feel love and accepted in church, UNTIL they do something to set them apart and be shunned.  Marry someone outside the faith, have a baby out of wedlock, admit to being gay, get a divorce, openly question the religion too much.  Then you are O-U-T.

 

Self esteem?  Approval and recognition in their family and church IF they follow all the arbitrary rules.

 

And do fundamentalists actually get to experience intellectual achievement?  I never got an honest answer in church.  "It's not for us to understand," "Don't question god," blahblahblah.  But even as a child I had honest questions about bible stories.  My questions got shut down, but I didn't take that as the final answer. I KNEW the stories didn't make sense, and I figured that the adults just didn't get them either and didn't want to admit it.  It's only more pathetic as an adult and the other adults in leadership positions won't give any actual answers, so I lost interest and quit going to church.

 

And if people want to be so shallow as to think that being thin and beautiful are of utmost importance, then good for them if they want to waste their lives obsessing about those things.  But that doesn't affect me.  I have always been a reader, I come from a family of readers (and agnostics).  My best friends in school were generally the smart kids, the ones who read and questioned things, and we had some great conversations about, well, everything, except diets and fashion.  I'm almost 50 and still get along best with people who talk about interesting things, not just their hair and nails.  I'm not a brilliant member of the intelligentsia, and I can certainly have a fun girl conversation about clothes and hair, and I do wash up good, but the conversation has to move on from that if it's going to hold my interest.

 

I love this website because it makes me think and is challenging, there is some wonderful humor on it, some incredibly deep thoughts, and a lot of serious life-searching.  This is the only site on the internet I belong to because of that.  I would have loved this in high school and college, but that was pre-internet!